


Nightmares

by althoseok



Category: Monsta X
Genre: Bottom Wonho, M/M, Murder, Nightmares, kiho, monsta x - Freeform, top kihyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-21 21:02:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/althoseok/pseuds/althoseok
Summary: “Why do you keep surviving?""It's your nightmare, Wonho. Not mine.""But I have no idea who you are and why you're still alive.""You'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry."__________________________A story in which Wonho gets severe nightmares involving the most gruesome murders every night and where Kihyun is the only person surviving every single attempt.





	1. 001

The sun was slowly but surely rising up above the apartment buildings covering the grounds of Seoul. A silver haired man sat in front of the window with a warm cup of coffee in his hands, silently staring into the faint pink light. The bags under his eyes were dark and swollen, the color from his face drained from the lack of proper rest and the aftermath of the little sleep he managed to get. He had made the mistake of closing his eyes that night. He hadn’t slept for days, simply because he was too afraid to do so and when he collapsed on the bed after returning from his job at a restaurant nearby sleep took him instantly. 

Over the past fifteen years he had been experiencing nightmares every time he fell asleep. They were always fairly mild but in the last few months they had gotten unbearable. The nightmares were so severe, not even the best psychologists in Seoul wanted to help him. They told him there was no saving his subconscious, that he needed to fight this by himself if he wanted to sleep soundly again one day. He tried, so hard, but nothing really seemed to work. Sometimes the nightmares were mild, only a fragment of the whole story. Because yes, they were stories. They all had a beginning, a red thread throughout the middle and an end. Wonho thought the endings were the worst part. He’d often wake up screaming and covered in sweat and tears. Sometimes he bled because he would dig his nails into his skin out of fear for the unknown and the horrors in his nightmares. His landlord had kicked him out of his previous apartment because he kept waking the whole building up in the middle of the night.  
You see, his nightmares weren’t your typical nightmares. Every night, Wonho’s subconscious showed him a scene of someone getting killed very violently. The faces of the victims never familiar, the killer never identifiable. But they all felt so real.

This time it was a woman in her thirties. She looked innocent, childlike almost. She was walking home after going out for drinks with her friends. She had consumed a few drinks but not enough for her to lose control over her movements or mind. A hooded person had been following her since she exited the bar. She had no idea, not until a hand appeared from behind, wrapping itself around her mouth and preventing her from screaming for help. It was the hand of a man. The hooded person pulled her into an alleyway, far away from the lively streets. By the time they had gotten there, she was a mess and terrified for her life. Wonho could feel her fear, despite being asleep and not knowing who the woman waa. The hooded person pulled a knife out of his coat, moving it so that it glistened in the faint light of a lantern above them. The woman tried to scream but found herself still unable to do so because of the hand covering her mouth. Without a warning the hooded person pierced the blade though her abdomen. He pulled it back and stabbed her once more. And again. And again. The hooded man didn’t stop. After the 28th time he stabbed her he plunged the blade into her chest, making sure she would pass away. She was long gone though. Wonho had felt her last breath and it had made him feel cold all over. He had woken up grasping his abdomen and chest, hyperventilating and covered in a sheen of cold sweat. 

The memory of the nightmare sent shivers down his spine as he watched life unfold on the streets below his apartment. His coffee had gone cold and the sun had risen further while he was lost in his thoughts. He was already dreading the upcoming night, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with not sleeping for much longer. Mrs Kim, his boss, had been expressing her worry for him for a while now. Every time he walked into the restaurant to start his shift she’d tell him to eat a nice full bowl of her infamous samgyetang, go home and sleep. He knew better though and politely refused every time, always earning a sound of disapproval from the elderly lady.  
He knew he couldn’t continue like this for much longer. At some point he’d have to give in to his nightmares despite having fought against them fairly successfully for months now. He didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t fight the nightmares. Would they just stop after a while? Would they get worse instantly? He just didn’t know. All he knew was that his nightmares weren’t normal.

It all started when he witnessed the murder of his parents when he was just a little kid. It was a normal hot day in August and Wonho and his mother were scooping out a giant watermelon, taking a bite here and there to temporarily satisfy their appetite for the cool summer snack. He could hear his dad shout at someone at the other side of the garden and when he looked up he saw an unfamiliar man standing there. Before he knew it there was a loud bang en his dad collapsed onto the floor. His mother froze before throwing her spoon away and running towards the men. She was shot before she could reach them. Little Wonho saw all of it unfold. He locked eyes with the unknown man and watched as he pointed his gun at him too. Of course he had no idea what was going on, he had never seen this man and he didn’t know why his parents were on the floor. The man was about to pull his trigger when he was shot by a cop. It appeared that someone other than Wonho had witnessed everything unfold and called the emergency number. If it wasn’t for that, Wonho wouldn’t have been alive right now.  
He looked death in its eyes that day, slipped through death‘s fingers and ever since that day death has been haunting him, terrorizing him when he’s at his most vulnerable. When he’s asleep. So Wonho barely ever slept and it was slowly but surely killing him. His body was falling apart, his mental state had hit rock bottom about two weeks prior and he had been very close to give death what it wanted. Death wanted him. But something inside him told him that giving in to the horrors wasn’t what his parents would’ve wanted, so he fought with all his might. He tried to stay awake when he could and if he couldn’t he’d set alarms to wake him up every twenty minutes so his nightmares didn’t get the chance to develop. It destroyed him though.

So here he was, staring at the sunrise mindlessly and hoping for the next night to be calm. If only he knew what his subconscious had been preparing for him.


	2. 002

Wonho had to work that day. He got up from his spot near the window and made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower in the hopes of clearing his mind a little. He undressed himself and stepped into the shower cabin. He turned on the water and cursed under his breath when an ice cold stream hit him in the chest. He always forgot to step away from it and wait for it to heat up. While wetting his hair and picking up the shampoo bottle from the floor he took a mental note to buy a new bottle on his way back from work. He was running low on all his supplies. It’s not that he was too busy to go out and purchase everything he needed, he was just too tired to leave the house on most days. Unfortunately and fortunately he worked several nights a week. He really did love his job, the customers loved him and he needed the money to pay his bills so he wouldn’t be able to quit even if he wanted to.

He washed his hair and his body and after he flushed all the soap off he turned around and stared at himself in the mirror opposite from the shower. His eyes inspected every part of himself and he came to the conclusion that he was just a pale muscular mess. He hadn’t seen any proper sunlight for months now, always staying inside or covering himself up. He worked out a lot though, but with the constant lack of energy it took a big toll on his body, his joints and muscles aching out of protest often. He had to keep going though, giving up was not an option.  
He grabbed a towel after turning the water off and wrapped it around his waist. He stepped out of the cabin and shivered when the cold air hit his warm skin, leaving goosebumps everywhere.  
He was supposed to use some products to make the bags under his eyes look less prominent but he decided against it, not feeling like putting much effort into his looks today. He knew he looked like shit anyway. So he got dressed and left for work.

He worked at this little restaurant, a short 15 minute walk away from where he lived. His mom always took him there when he was a little kid and his boss had promised him a job when his parents died. He never left, he couldn’t. When he was still a teenager he worked there solely to pay his bills but in recent years mrs. Kim had gotten older and couldn’t do everything by herself anymore. His heart wouldn’t be able to forgive him if he left her to do everything alone so he stayed for her. He would never admit that that was the real reason for why he stayed all those years though.  
Upon arrival at the small place he noticed that not many customers were in. It wasn’t surprising though as competition was huge in this area of town and mrs. Kim’s speciality dishes were kind of an acquired taste. The restaurant had loads of regular customers who visited to eat their favorite meals there multiple times a week. Some customers ate there every day. Maybe it was because the food was great, maybe it was because mrs. Kim was such a darling and always joined everyone for a friendly chat, something one rarely came across these days. People appreciated it, it made them ache for the good old times before life got so fast and anti-social.  
Wonho went to the back to grab his apron when he was tackled into a hug. “Where do you think you’re going, beef boy?” said the skinny boy who was holding onto him for dear life. “Changkyun how many times do I have to tell you to not go in for a hug like this. I am fragile, okay?” he answered in the most pretentious way he could think of. Changkyun snorted, not falling for his bullshit, like always. “I have tables 1, 2, 4 and 7 tonight, the rest are yours.” Changkyun said. Wonho nodded. Changkyun always made him wait more tables despite knowing about his sleep issues. He appreciated it though because it kept his mind off things. He looked up and noticed some more customers had walked into the restaurant and decided it was time to get to work.

As the hours passed by Wonho grew more and more tired. At the end of his shift his eyes were barely open still. He had walked back to the kitchen to relax a bit after mrs. Kim scolded him for not sleeping well again. He always told her he’d sleep better the next night but he always came back more tired than before and she knew it. She saw right through him. Of course she did, she practically raised him.  
Changkyun entered the kitchen with his arms carrying stacks of empty plates and glasses. “The last customer just left. I’ll clean up the tables and do the dishes, you go home and rest.” he told Wonho with a serious look on his face. Wonho knew he wasn’t going to take no for an answer so he sighed. “Alright. See you tomorrow buddy.” he said as he walked away. “You bet. Goodnight!” Changkyun yelled as Wonho had already left the kitchen before he could open his mouth. Wonho didn’t answer, his mind had already wandered off.  
He was wondering whether he should try to get some proper sleep tonight or if he’d try to pull another all-nighter. Sleep sounded really good though.

When he entered his apartment he took off his shoes and walked straight to his bed. He dropped himself on it, not bothering to change his clothes or to set any alarms for the night. On his way home he had decided to try to get through the night without interfering with his sleep. He didn’t need much to get there though, closing his eyes was enough to make him drift off.  
He managed to sleep properly for four hours, something he hadn’t been able to do for months now. It was great, too great. It didn’t take long before things went south again.

 _“No! No please!” the man begged. He had gotten into a fight with three of his colleagues at the dock where they had just loaded cargo off a big ship after saying something he shouldn’t have said and they were beating in on him. One punched him in the face, another kicked him against his shin. The man bled out of his mouth, he wasn’t quite sure where exactly the blood was coming from and whether it was a dangerous injury or not. He collapsed when one of his colleagues kneed him in the stomach. He dry-heaved, his stomach felt like it was on fire. “I know what I said was wrong but please don’t do this. I have a family to take care of.” he gasped, tears forming in his eyes. “My wife, s-she’s pregnant. You can’t do this!” he yelled, hoping to talk some sense into his attackers. They showed no mercy though. “Looks like she’s going to raise that kid alone because you’re not going to be around for it.” one of the men said. The man then gathered all his strength and kicked the victim in his stomach who then fell to the floor. “I feel sorry for your wife. She married you, a nobody who fails at literally everything he does and who died over a dumb argument. You should’ve kept your mouth shut, maybe you would’ve still been alive for your child’s birth then.” another man said. The three of them started to kick the poor man against his head, stomach and back. He made a very easy target, especially now that he was lying on the floor. The man was aching all over, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears and his head was throbbing from all the direct kicks to it. He didn’t know whether he could hold on much longer._  
_It didn’t take long before he passed away from his extended head injuries. By the time the men were done with him, his scalp was open, his skull visible and shattered and his face beaten to a pulp. The sight was pure horror._

Wonho’s subconscious was so shocked by the view that it had forced him to wake up. He was shaking and he had a massive headache. Not because of how deeply he slept but because he felt the kicks in his sleep. He panted and looked around his room. It was still dark outside which meant that it was still night. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and checked his phone. It was 4:52am. “Shit..” he cursed under his breath. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept this long in one go. It made him happy but at the same time it also made him sad. He was happy because he finally got some well-deserved rest but he was sad because the nightmares were still there and the future seemed so unsure because of it.  
There was no way he was going to keep up with living like this for another year. He hoped he would find some kind of magical cure for his problems soon but a tired voice inside of him told him that those things only happen in movies. He was a ticking time bomb and he knew it. All he could do now was be prepared for the day where he would run out of time.


End file.
